


Unlikely Encounter, Take Two

by Varewulf



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game), Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Crossover, F/F, Fluff, Minor Angst, Yuri, is this what a 'crack ship' is?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 21:24:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15894414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Varewulf/pseuds/Varewulf
Summary: So somehow I came up with a follow-up for this, and it turned into a long fic at that. So after Tsugu and Yohane met in dream, here is:Tsugu and Yohane meet in real life!





	1. A Sort Of Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I had honestly intended that last fic to be [a simple stand-alone](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15862776), but you know how it is. One idea can lead into another, especially with some encouragement. So really you can thank/blame commenter tsukinohana for this one. It got pretty long, though. So I'm hoping it stayed consistent. Regardless it probably has some errors I failed to catch.
> 
> Well, it was fun to write, and hopefully at least one person likes it. For what was just a weird out of the blue crossover ship, I gave it more legs than what was probably warranted.
> 
> So after doing the 'they meet in a dream' thing, the next logical step was 'well, what if they actually met in real life afterwards'. I hope you enjoy! Just... don't worry too much about timelines and stuff, I certainly didn't.

"Why are we here?" Yohane asked. She was tired, and her feet were aching. Maybe she should have put on better shoes, even if they would have compromised her style. But she hadn't expected they would end up walking so much.

"We're exploring!" Ruby said cheerfully, seemingly not having the same concerns.

"But why _here_?" Yohane pointedly asked. "This is basically the edge of Tokyo."

"Because you find more interesting things outside of the main tourist areas, zura," Hanamaru said.

"You read that in a guide, didn't you?" Yohane said accusingly.

"Yes," Hanamaru confirmed, with no trace of shame.

Yohane sighed. This was foolish, but perhaps she was the bigger fool for agreeing to go along with them. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Something to do other than just sit at the inn and wait for tomorrow, but now they were all the way out in... Edogawa, was it? They had found the district's downtown area, but there wasn't that much to it compared to the more central parts of the city. She supposed it made sense for someone like Hanamaru to seek out remote areas, and Ruby was always happy to tag along with Maru. And this time Yohane had come along too. If only she had known before they left.

"Can we at least take a break? My feet are killing me," she complained.

"Hm... oh, I see a cafe on the corner up there, Yoshiko-chan!" Ruby said.

"It's Yohane!"

Sometimes she wondered why she still bothered to correct them, but she also didn't want to back down. At least relief was in sight. Hazawa Coffee. An iced coffee would be nice.

* * *

Tsugumi was working that afternoon when three girls came in. One with long, brown hair, one with bright red hair, and pigtails, and one with long, dark blue hair, and a curious bun. She hadn't ever seen them before. Maybe they were tourists, even though those were rare all the way out here. They got the occasional ones, people who wanted to see something outside of the centre of Tokyo, but she wasn't sure if she had seen anyone near her own age before.

"Welcome, please find any table you'd like!" she greeted them. There were a few customers here already, but it was hardly packed. The trio ended up sitting at a table by the window. Definitely tourists, considering the way they kept looking at everything outside.

After giving them a little time, she went to ask what they wanted to order.

"I want the strawberry shortcake, and green tea, zura," said the brunette.

"Ice cream sundae! And green tea," said the redhead.

"I'll have an iced latte, and... chocolate cake, I guess," said the third girl.

Now that she saw her up close, Tsugumi felt something tickle in the back of her mind. On the one hand she knew she had never seen the girl before, yet on the other hand there was something strangely familiar about the way she looked. And that dark, dark blue hair, like the colour of the night...

She wrote the orders down, and repeated them back to make sure she got it right. "Alright, we'll have it ready soon," she said, and headed back to the counter.

The girl hadn't seemed like she recognised Tsugumi at all, so she must have simply been imagining things. She wasn't quite sure where that earlier thought had come from. Maybe she was someone famous in disguise, and Tsugumi had seen her on TV or something. No, that seemed unlikely.

* * *

"This is a nice place," Ruby said after their orders had arrived.

"Very cosy, zura," Hanamaru agreed.

Yohane took a sip of her iced latte, and felt a million times better right away. "So good..." she mumbled.

It _was_ a cosy place. A very homely feel, reinforced by how there wasn't too many people in here. And while it was far from the centre of the city, it was still busier outside here than it was anywhere back in Uchiura. Maybe more than Numazu, even. Tokyo really was a whole different world from where Aqours came from.

"Hey, Yoshiko-chan. What are you thinking about, zura?" Hanamaru suddenly asked.

Yohane decided to let it slide this time. "Nothing, really. Just happy to be sitting down. My poor wings need their rest, after all," she said, and smiled a little.

But there was... something on her mind. She was absolutely certain she had never been in this part of Tokyo before, and therefore never in this cafe either, but ever since she got here there was this strange feeling in the back of her mind. As if there was something in here that was familiar. But she couldn't figure out what. It was like a memory just out of reach, and it bugged her. Maybe Hanamaru had noticed. It was annoying how her old friend could almost read her mind at times.

All too soon their drinks and sweets were gone, and it was time to move on. Maybe she could suggest that they go back to the inn now, but knowing those two, they probably wanted to walk around a bit more first. Hanamaru had mentioned wanting to visit the local shrine, even though they weren't sure where it was. Yohane could go back on her own, but Ruby was the one who knew how to read a map. If she got lost, she'd never hear the end of it.

* * *

The trio came up to pay while Tsugumi was behind the counter. It was so rare to see new people, that she almost felt a little sad to see them go. Not to mention there was still that tickle in the back of her mind regarding the dark-haired girl. If she left before Tsugumi figured it out, she might never know what that was about. But such was life.

She rang them up, and the trio started digging out money to pay.

"Crap..." the dark-haired girl muttered. "I'm short on cash. Zuramaru, can you...?"

"I got you, Yoshiko-chan," the brunette said without hesitation.

"It's Yohane!"

The name rang like an echo in Tsugumi's mind, and everything clicked into place. The dark hair, the colour of the night. Those purple eyes. The face. Even the outfit was a similar style. It was impossible, but...

"Yo-Yohane-sama?!" Tsugumi blurted out, unable to stop herself.

The brunette and redhead both gave her odd looks. "Sama?" the redhead pondered out loud.

As for the self-identified Yohane, she had frozen, and looked at Tsugumi in shock. There was confusion in those eyes, until comprehension lit them up. "The nun?!"

"The nun, zura?"

* * *

"You know her, Yoshiko-chan?" Ruby asked.

Yohane was too shocked to know how to respond. "Yes... I mean, no! I mean..." If she imagined the girl behind the counter in a nun's habit, it was just like in the dream, but... "This is impossible..." she muttered. That had been just a dream. Yet the girl had recognised her. Yohane had no idea what her name was, it hadn't come up in the dream, she had just been the pretty nun that she had wanted to whisk away.

"U-um..." The girl was looking as shocked as Yohane felt.

Yohane had to make a decision, and fast. She knew there was no way she could just leave, and ignore this. It would eat away at her forever if she didn't look into it. But this was way too weird. Yet...

"Hey, is there somewhere we can talk?" she managed to ask in a remarkably calm tone. She didn't really have a plan, but it was the start of one. Probably. She could figure it out as they went along. They certainly couldn't just discuss this with everyone around.

"Yoshiko-chan?" The other two looked at her questioningly.

"Uh... sure, yeah," the girl said. "Mum! Can you take this, I... I need a break!"

An adult woman came out from the back. "Sure, sweetie."

"I'll be right back," Yohane said to Hanamaru and Ruby. "Can you wait for me outside or something?"

"Okay..." Ruby said, clearly confused.

"Just send us a text when you're done, zura," Hanamaru said, ever the more practical one.

"Right," Yohane said, and followed the girl to wherever they were going.

* * *

As she didn't have a better idea, Tsugumi ended up leading Yohane up to her room. She knew that was a weird thing to do with a girl she had just met, but in a sense they had already met before. Right?

"So... uh... you're really Yohane?" she asked to break the awkward silence after the door had closed.

Yohane lifted her hand to do a gesture over her face. It reminded her a bit of one of Ako's poses. "Indeed, I am the fallen angel Yohane, cast down from heaven, and cursed to walk this land forever," she said, her voice different than it had been down in the cafe. It was almost like it had been in the dream.

"Wow..." was all Tsugumi could think to say. Yohane was not as imposing in person as she had been in the dream. They looked to be the same height, and the same age. Yet she couldn't deny that the fallen angel still looked beautiful. Wait, no, what was she thinking at a time like this? And her eyes kept drifting down to those lips. Lips she had nearly touched with her own, except she had woken up just before it happened. The purple lipstick suited them.

Yohane's pose faltered. "Er... listen... I know this is awkward... I mean, I don't even know your name..." she said, her voice shifting back to what it had been downstairs.

"Oh! I-I'm Tsugumi! Hazawa Tsugumi! A pleasure to meet you!" Tsugumi said, a little too fast, and bowed without thinking.

"Right. Tsugumi." Tsugumi felt a strange fluttering when Yohane said her name. And no honorific. "So... you also had that dream?" Yohane asked cautiously.

"Yes." Tsugumi nodded, her cheeks starting to feel warm.

"In the church? Where we almost...?" Yohane kept asking, as if to make sure. Her face was growing pink.

Tsugumi nodded again. "Yes..."

"But that's impossible..." Yohane sounded bewildered.

Tsugumi couldn't blame her. "Yet..." Not only that. What were the odds that would meet in real life, and so soon afterwards.

"Yeah..." Yohane scratched her head. "Ugh, I can't really stay right now, but... I can give you my number, and we can... talk later, or something..." She pulled open the zipper on her purse. "Ah crap, I don't have anything to write on... would you be alright with exchanging contact information?" she asked, holding up her phone.

Since it was her room, Tsugumi had both pen and paper, but she still said: "Uh, sure!" Maybe she didn't remember, or maybe she wanted Yohane to have her number as well, but whatever the reason she dug out her own phone. They held the backs against each other, and there was a buzz, confirming that they had been registered.

* * *

Yohane put her phone back in her purse after checking she had indeed gotten the number in there. "I... I'll be in Tokyo all weekend," she said. "We have a live show tomorrow, so... um... just... send me a message later?" she suggested in an uncertain tone.

"S-sure," Tsugumi said, and smiled.

It was a very pretty smile, Yohane thought. As she left the room (Tsugumi stayed behind a little longer), she couldn't stop thinking about how weird this was. Deep down she had always felt that this supernatural stuff she indulged in was probably all fake. But it was a refuge. And a core part of her identity by this point. Yet this had shaken her. It had to be impossible for two people who had never met to share the same dream, and then actually meet not long afterwards. What were even the odds of that? Even one in a million sounded like too high. One in a billion, maybe.

Maybe she was having another dream. Maybe that was the explanation for why Hanamaru and Ruby had dragged her out here. She pinched herself, and learned that it didn't seem to be a dream. Or maybe you had to have someone else pinch you.

She had no idea what the plan was now though. She had given Tsugumi her number, and also gotten hers, but was there any followup to this? Could there be any followup? They had met each other in a dream. They knew nothing about each other in real life. Not to mention they lived in different parts of the country. Yet she couldn't just forget about this, and move on. The fact that they had actually met felt almost like... fate.

Once outside, she couldn't see Ruby or Hanamaru around, so she sent Maru a text.

Then it hit her. "Ah crap, I should have invited her to the show..." she groaned. Well, if Tsugumi decided to contact her later tonight, maybe she still could. Unless that was moving too fast. She was having a lot of confused and conflicted feelings about this.


	2. A Hopeful Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After parting ways, Tsugumi contacts Yohane later that night, and Yohane remembers to invite her to the show.

Tsugumi stared at her phone for a while. She had saved the contact info, and checked that she had it several times. Yohane, it said. She was real. Sort of. Tsugumi understood that she wasn't a real fallen angel. Probably. Stuff like that couldn't possibly exist in the boring, regular world. But there was a real person, that she had shared a dream with. Which was also supposed to be impossible. Yet it had still happened. Maybe the supernatural wasn't so far-fetched after all.

While she hadn't been able to forget the dream after it happened, it had faded a little since that night. Until today brought it all back. Thinking about every little detail was making her feel hot and bothered. What if the dream had lasted just a couple of seconds longer?

She realised that her mother might be starting to worry, especially since a strange girl had followed her up here, and then come back down alone. She got up, and put the phone back in her pocket. Whatever it was she intended to do, she could figure it out later. Now she had to concentrate on finishing up her shift.

"Are you alright, Tsugumi?" her mother asked as she got back downstairs.

"Y-yes," Tsugumi answered, and wished she hadn't stammered. "I'm fine," she added, and smiled.

"Was that one of your friends?"

"Um... not exactly..." Tsugumi answered, and thankfully her mother didn't push the subject.

Concentrating on work turned out to be easier said than done. Her phone felt like it was burning a hole in her pocket. Should she simply send a text message? Or actually call? Actually, should she do anything at all? If she tried to just forget about this, then... then what?

Thankfully she was experienced enough that she could do this job in her sleep, and that was practically what she ended up doing. She didn't get any orders wrong, but she daydreamed the whole way through.

Until a little bit later someone she knew showed up.

"Tsugu! Is there any cheesecake left?" It was Himari, her friend and bandmate. And maybe just the person she needed right now.

"Himari-chan!" Tsugumi greeted her, with a sense of relief.

Himari paused. "Are you alright, Tsugu? You look a little... off," she said.

"Er... Himari-chan... do you believe in fate?" Tsugumi asked.

"What?" Himari looked confused.

"Well... I know it's going to sound crazy, but I have something I need to tell you..."

* * *

Himari had gotten her cheesecake, and slowly ate while listening to Tsugumi's story.

"So... let me see if I got this right," she said. "A week ago you had a dream with a girl you had never seen before in it." Tsugumi nodded. "And today she actually showed up here." Tsugumi nodded again. "And gave you her number." Another nod. "You're right, Tsugu. That does sound crazy."

"I know..." Tsugumi groaned.

"And she's a fallen angel?" Himari was having a hard time wrapping her head around this, but it seemed like Tsugumi was struggling too.

"I don't think she's actually... I mean... I think she's just... more like Ako-chan. Probably." Tsugumi didn't sound entirely sure.

"Are you sure you didn't just dream up this meeting too, Tsugu? Do you have any proof she was actually here?" Himari had to ask.

"I have her number!" Tsugu held forth her phone, which had a contact open that was listed as Yohane. "And mum saw her too!"

"You should have taken a picture. I'm really curious, now," Himari said. A mysterious girl met in a dream. It was like a cheesy romance story, exactly the kind Himari loved.

"You're right." Tsugumi groaned again. "But I was so shocked I was unable to think clearly. I just gave her my number, too."

Himari smiled a little. She hadn't seen Tsugumi like this before, and it was interesting. "Well, what is she like? Did she live up to the dream?" she asked.

"Eheh..." Tsugumi blushed a little. "She's not quite as fantastical as that, but... she's still beautiful. Like... 'out of my league' kind of beautiful."

Himari raised an eyebrow. "Oh~, so you're actually interested?" Tsugumi blushed deeper. Himari grinned. "Hey, considering she was the one who decided to give you her number, she probably doesn't think she's out of your league."

"But I'm so..."

Himari cut off Tsugumi's attempt at a protest. "Tsugu. Have a little confidence for once. A pretty girl you met in a dream showed up to give you her number. I think you've earned it." She still wasn't sure how far she believed this story, but she felt it was important to keep Tsugumi's spirits up.

"I... I guess..." Tsugumi was going from pink to scarlet.

"So, where is she from?" Himari asked.

"Uh... I don't know," Tsugumi answered.

"How old is she?"

"I don't know... maybe our age?"

"What's her full name?"

"I... don't know."

"How did she find you?"

"I don't know."

Himari sighed. "Then what do you know?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, Himari-chan... I didn't think to ask questions..." Tsugumi said. "But... um... I know she's not from around here... she said she's only staying in Tokyo for the weekend. Apparently there's a live show she's going to tomorrow, along with her friends."

"Oh? What sort of show?" Himari asked.

"I don't know," Tsugumi answered.

Himari wasn't even surprised, just disappointed. "Tsugu..."

"I know!" Tsugumi wailed. "Oh! She called her one of her friends... uh... Zuramaru... I think..."

"That's not really helpful..." Himari muttered. "What do you intend to do?" While she knew where she wanted this to go, she shouldn't pressure Tsugumi into anything.

"I... I think she left the next move up to me," Tsugumi said. "I'd like to contact her, but what if she-"

"Tsugu. Confidence." Himari cut in.

"Right... ehehe..." Tsugumi laughed awkwardly. "I'll do it! I'll contact her! But... what do I say?"

* * *

"Yoshiko-chan, you've been staring at your phone a lot, zura."

"Huh? Have I?" Yohane was lying on top of her futon at the inn, and looked up at Hanamaru.

"You have, zura," Hanamaru said. "And I know you're not reading or playing anything, because you're not tapping at the screen, zura."

Yohane felt a slight twinge of regret for having taught Hanamaru how modern phones work.

"Is it that girl from earlier?" Ruby asked. "Who is she, anyway?"

"Uh..." Yohane was not sure how to answer that, or if she even wanted to.

"What's this? What girl?" You asked.

Yohane cursed inwardly. They were sharing a big room with all nine of them, and currently only Dia and Kanan were not present. And it just so happened that You had been close enough to overhear.

"Yoshiko-chan has started picking up big city girls, zura," Hanamaru said so matter-of-factly that Yohane was stunned for a second.

"I-it's one girl!" Yohane protested. "And I didn't 'pick her up'!" To Yohane's dismay, her loud outburst attracted the attention of the rest of the girls in the room, who drifted closer.

"What's up?" Chika asked with open curiosity.

"Yoshiko-chan's become an indecent woman," You said with a straight face.

"S-stop it! I don't even know Tsugumi yet!" Yohane said, and realised her mistake far too late.

"Tsugumi?" Chika inquired.

"Yet?" Ruby chimed in.

"So you're already on a first name basis? For shame, zura." Hanamaru seemed to be enjoying this far too much.

Mari put her arm over Yohane's shoulder. "Anything you need Mari-onee-san's help with, Yoshiko-chan?" she asked with a grin. "Come on, give me the sordid details."

"W-we just talked," Yohane said meekly.

"Yoshiko-chan went right up to the girl's room, and got her number," Ruby said. She sounded a little impressed.

"H-how do you... anyway, I'm the one who gave her my number first!" Yohane said, again realising her mistake too late.

"Aha, so I was right!" Ruby said triumphantly.

"You gave your number first? That's very bold, Yoshiko-chan," You said, and whistled.

"Mari-onee-san couldn't be more proud~." Mari beamed. "So what's she like? Pretty? Cute? Sexy~?"

Yohane felt like steam was coming out of her ears.

"She looked pretty cute, zura," Hanamaru said helpfully.

"Geez, just leave me alone!" Yohane broke out of the surrounding crowd, and stormed off.

* * *

"W-wait, Yoshiko-chan!" Ruby tried to call out, but Yohane left the room too suddenly.

"Did we go too far?" Chika asked.

"Yes, I think so," Riko said. "Shame on you all." While she might not have directly taken part, Riko had been listening very attentively, so maybe she wasn't as innocent in this as she pretended to be.

"Should we go after her?" Chika wondered.

"She probably needs some breathing room, zura," Hanamaru said. She was probably the one who knew Yohane best, even though she often used that knowledge to tease her.

"Heh..." You rubbed the back of her head. "Someone is probably gonna have to tell Dia something, huh? If Yoshiko-chan's gonna be angry with us now, then Dia is going to ask why."

"Not me, zura," Hanamaru was quick to say.

Everyone looked at Ruby.

"E-eh? Me?" Ruby didn't exactly look eager at the prospect.

"You're her treasured little sister~," Mari said sweetly.

"And you're her girlfriend!" Ruby said, and harrumphed.

This discussion could take a while.

* * *

Yohane sighed. She felt really childish for running off like that, but it had been too much. Getting some fresh air was helping clear her mind.

There was no way she could tell them the whole story. Maybe she could tell Ruby and Hanamaru, eventually. But she knew it would sound crazy. It was crazy. Stuff like that didn't happen. Shouldn't happen. The only way she could describe it was... fate.

Yohane didn't like the idea of fate. That there was something that bound everyone to a certain role, to a certain path in life. That there was a destiny you couldn't avoid, or change. That was part of why she worked so hard to make something different of herself. She wanted to defy the very notion of fate. Yet somehow she had run into the girl of her dreams. No wait, the girl from her dream. Those were very different things. She groaned audibly.

Taking out her phone again, she saw that there was still no message. Tsugumi had probably decided to forget about it. That made sense. Some weird girl showed up, who had nearly done nasty things to her in a dream, and gave her her number before abruptly leaving again. They had barely had time to talk about anything. No time to get to know each other. It made sense that she wouldn't want anything to do with that.

"I'm not that lucky..." she mumbled.

She wasn't even sure why she cared so much. They'd met in a dream. That hadn't even been their real selves. They knew nothing of each other. She hadn't even known her name before today, for heck's sake. Just a cute girl from a dream. But that meant they had a special connection, right?

Hugging her knees close, she sighed again. This was all too strange, even for her. So she absolutely couldn't blame Tsugumi for staying away. Even if it made her heart ache a little.

As if on cue, the phone buzzed in her hand. She quickly held it up again to look. A single message was displayed over the lock screen: " _Yohane?_ "

* * *

Even after talking to Himari, it had taken Tsugumi a while to work up the courage to actually make contact. She had told herself that right after dinner she would do it. Yet she had still procrastinated a little. Her nerves were already frayed by the time she hit send.

" _Tsugumi!_ "

The reply came almost immediately. She wasn't sure if that meant Yohane had been waiting, or had just been close to the phone, and wasn't busy. Probably the latter. Actually, this was probably the part where Himari would chide her for her lack of confidence again.

" _You remember my name._ " Tsugumi sent the message, and almost immediately felt foolish. It hadn't been more than a few hours since they met, why wouldn't she remember? Plus she probably had it saved on her phone. _Ugh, why am I so bad at this?_ she asked herself.

* * *

Yohane pondered that message.

" _Why wouldn't I-_ " she started to type, but quickly deleted it. She had to be smooth about this. " _How could I forget? We share a special connection._ " She sent that instead. That was better, cooler.

" _I didn't think you would actually contact me._ " Her finger hovered over the send button, but she didn't think that sounded cool enough either. So she started deleting it, but accidentally hit send partway through.

* * *

" _I didn't think you would_ " said the next message, which left Tsugumi confused.

"Didn't think I would what?" she wondered out loud, and started to type that question in, but before she could hit send, then next message from Yohane arrived. Seems she was a quick typer.

" _The great Yohane appreciates your correspondence, little demon._ "

Tsugumi let out a gasp. 'Little demon'. That was what she had said in the dream. _Am I her little demon now, then?_ she wondered. She wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but thinking about it made her heart beat a little faster.

She wasn't sure how to do this. How did one talk to a girl one didn't know, but might be interested in? She wasn't even sure where she wanted this to go, if anywhere. But right now she wanted to know more about Yohane. The questions Himari had brought up came to mind.

Not knowing how to lead in to it, Tsugumi just sent the question: " _Where are you from?_ "

After a little pause, the reply she got was: " _I was cast down from heaven._ "

Tsugumi laughed awkwardly. Maybe she had to be more careful about how she phrased things.

* * *

" _I meant, where do you live?_ " the next message said.

"Oh..." It occurred to Yohane that maybe she shouldn't worry so much about being cool for this part, and rather answer these questions properly. Though it was a little embarrassing to admit she was from a tiny town.

" _Uchiura._ "

" _Where's that?_ "

That made sense. Why would Tsugumi have heard about such a small place. Would she even know where Numazu was? Japan was a big country, and not everyone was an ace in geography. Not that Yohane was either. She really only knew of the biggest and most famous places, like Hokkaido.

" _Shizuoka prefecture. By the coast,_ " she elaborated. " _Part of Numazu,_ " she added a moment later. That might make it easier to find, at least.

* * *

Tsugumi quickly looked it up. That wasn't too far outside Tokyo, like an hour and a half by train. _Wait, why did I worry about that? And why do I feel so relieved?_ She wasn't sure if she had an honest answer to that yet.

They kept trading questions back and forth as they came to mind. Now that they had broken the ice, so to speak, it was amazing how smoothly things went. Tsugumi got to learn all sorts of things, though she steered away from asking for Yohane's full name. Maybe she didn't want to know her as anything more, or maybe she was worried it was a sensitive topic. Her friends called her something else, but Yohane had corrected them.

She also volunteered anything about her own boring self and life that Yohane asked for. It really wasn't anything exciting, but it made her happy that Yohane kept asking.

Then Tsugumi remembered one key thing. " _What was that about a live show?_ " she asked.

* * *

Yohane smacked her forehead. The show! She was supposed to ask, yet had forgotten so quickly.

" _Right. My group are taking part in a live show tomorrow._ " She hit send, then pondered how to ask. Maybe simple was best. " _Would you like to come?_ "

" _What sort of live show?_ " came the response. Followed by: " _Are you in a band?_ "

 _A band?_ Yohane hadn't even considered that. She didn't listen that much to music outside of what they did in Aqours.

" _No, it's an idol show,_ " she typed in reply. " _I'm part of a group called Aqours. Maybe you've heard of us?_ "

" _No, sorry,_ " said the message from Tsugumi.

Yohane sighed. That made sense. It had been a long shot, but she had thought that maybe, since they shared a special connection and all, Tsugumi might have known. While they were starting to make a name for themselves, it was probably only among the most hardcore idol fans they were known.

" _Would you still like to come?_ " After hitting send, Yohane suddenly got a little anxious that maybe it sounded too desperate.

* * *

" _Sure!_ " Tsugumi typed in the answer so quickly that she nearly managed to misspell such a short word.

Yohane gave her the details on where and when it was. Tsugumi made sure to write it down on paper, as well as saving it on her phone. She wasn't sure if it was reasonable to feel this excited about such a thing, but she couldn't help it.

They kept texting back and forth for a bit, before they had to wrap it up. Apparently Yohane and her friends were heading out one more time before it got too late.

" _I'll see you tomorrow,_ " Tsugumi said.

" _I shall be awaiting our rendezvous, little demon,_ " Yohane replied.

Tsugumi giggled a little. Her stomach felt funny. " _Good night._ "

" _Good night._ "

Tsugumi put the phone down, and sighed happily. She wasn't sure how long they'd been texting. She hadn't looked at the time when she started. But considering her battery level, it had probably been a while.

Wait. While the thought of being alone with Yohane was a tempting one, she couldn't just go to this thing alone. She wouldn't have the courage to, or she might get lost, or some bad people might find her. Himari. Himari would surely come along. Hopefully. She quickly called Himari to explain the situation.

"So you already have a date, Tsugu?" Himari sounded pleased.

"I-it's not a date, I'm just going to see her perform!" Tsugumi protested. "I-I would have invited her if we were playing, too..."

Himari giggled. "Relax, Tsugu. Well, I want to see this mystery girl of yours, so of course I'll come along! I had heard about the show, but it's school idols, so I hadn't intended to go..." she said.

"Oh right, you're into idols, aren't you?" Tsugumi said. It wasn't like Himari talked about them all the time, but it came up occasionally.

"A bit," Himari admitted. "I'm not exactly hardcore, but I have some units I follow. Not really into the school idol scene though, so I haven't heard of Aqours. I can look it up for tomorrow, though! I know some sites." She sounded almost proud of that.

"Okay, but don't worry too much about it," Tsugumi said. She couldn't help smiling though. It felt like she had an ally, which she sorely needed.

"Hey, we should take the rest of the band too!" Himari suggested. "I'm not sure if they're free tomorrow, but we can ask."

"Okay!" Tsugumi might feel better with everyone else around. At least it would be fun to do something together.


	3. A Wonderful Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Afterglow + Ako arrive at the venue to watch the show.

"Are you okay, Yoshiko-chan?" Hanamaru asked.

"I-I'm fine!" Yohane said.

They were backstage at the live show. They weren't up for nearly another hour, but the show itself had started, with other groups going ahead of them. It would have been more impressive if it was an Aqours-only show, but they weren't that famous yet, certainly not for a place like this.

"You seem more nervous than usual, zura." Hanamaru wasn't letting it go.

"I'm completely fine," Yohane insisted, as calmly as possible. It was just that she couldn't stop thinking about whether Tsugumi was out there. And what she might think. _Argh!_ She chided herself, told herself it wasn't worth worrying so much about. It was still just another show. It wasn't even their first time in a big place. But it was the first time someone she wanted to impress might be in the audience.

"Thinking about Tsugumi-chan?" Ruby guessed.

"W-wha-" Yohane fumbled for words. When had Ruby become so observant? Yet again she regretted telling the others her name, even if it was by accident.

"Bingo," Ruby said with a self-satisfied smile.

"Stop bullying me!" Yohane said, perhaps a little loudly.

"Zura!" Hanamaru looked startled.

"Uh... sorry..." Ruby had the decency to look ashamed.

"I swear we're not bullying you, zura," Hanamaru said.

"We're just happy for you," Ruby assured her.

"Hmph... there's nothing to be happy about." Yohane pouted.

Hanamaru patted her on the back. "Just give it your all like you always do, zura."

"Yeah, you're a marvel on the stage, Yoshiko-chan," Ruby said honestly.

Yohane hesitated. "Really?"

"Of course!" Ruby stated confidently.

"I'm sure Tsugumi-chan will be blown away, zura," Hanamaru said cheekily.

"Th-that's not-! Eesh, you're horrible!" Yohane started pouting again.

"Only because we love you, Yoshiko-chan~," the two of them said in sync.

"It's Yohane!"

* * *

When the entirety of Afterglow showed up at the venue, the show had already started, but Tsugumi had checked the schedule, and knew Aqours were still a little ways off. So they went inside without stressing, and found a spot. She couldn't help the way she was feeling all excited and nervous, though.

Tomoe had agreed to come along without fuss, and even brought Ako along, who had insisted on going once she learned what was going on. Tsugumi wasn't entirely sure if Ako actually liked idols, or if she just wanted to see a big show.

They had expected Ran to be the one most difficult to persuade, but she had just said: "Yeah, sure". Moca's attitude seemed to be one of 'why not', especially when Ran was going.

"So, where is this mystery girlfriend of yours, Tsugu~?" Moca asked once they had gotten settled in.

"She's not on yet," Tsugumi answered without thinking, then it all finally passed through her brain. "A-and she's not my girlfriend!" she protested.

"Fu fu fu~." Moca looked very pleased with herself.

"When is their turn?" Himari asked, leaning over to look at the schedule Tsugumi held.

"They're listed as the ones after the next group after this one," Tsugumi said. They had caught the end of one group as they arrived, and another had just started as they found their place. She wasn't entirely sure how long each group had, but Yohane's might be up there in about half an hour or so. Tsugumi could already feel her heart beating a little faster. Idol shows were a bit different from the band shows they were used to going to.

"So what are they called, anyway?" Tomoe asked. Ako was struggling to see, so Tomoe lifted her up on her shoulders. It was amazing she still had the strength to do that, big sister or not.

"Oh, right. Yohane said they were called Aqours," Tsugumi said. She had forgotten to tell them that part.

"Did you say Aqours?" Ran spoke up unexpectedly. "Let me see that..." She reached for the schedule, and Tsugumi handed it to her.

"You know who they are, Ran-chan?" Tsugumi asked.

Ran studied the schedule. "Of course. They're one of the notable up and comers on the school idol scene. They came from nowhere, started with nothing, and now they're seen as one of the likely candidates to go to the next Love Live," she explained. "It's quite amazing, really."

A silence descended over the group.

"Aaaaand how do you know this, Ra~n?" Moca asked.

Ran jumped as if startled, and looked up at everyone's astonished faces. "Uh... that... that is..." she stammered.

"Wow, I didn't know you were an idol fan, Ran-chan!" Ako said cheerfully. "That's cool!"

"I-I'm not! This is... just normal..." Ran tried.

"Ooohhhh reeeaaallllyyyyy~?" Moca was clearly enjoying this.

"Geez, you could have let me know, Ran," Himari said. "You know I'm into idols too. We could have chatted about it!"

"I'm not!" Ran insisted. "I'm telling you I'm not!"

"Sure, whatever you say~." Moca patted Ran on the head.

"You're all awful..." Ran mumbled before she refused to say anything else.

* * *

The next two performances passed by quickly, and soon enough Aqours came onto the stage.

"Is that them?" Ako asked.

"Yes," Tsugumi answered. The butterflies in her stomach were going wild at seeing Yohane in her costume. The other girls were cute too, but Tsugumi's eyes only fixated on one.

"So which one is she?" Himari asked.

"The one with dark hair," Tsugumi said, not thinking about how there were three dark-haired girls.

"With the ponytail?"

"Huh? No, second from the left, with the bun."

"Ooohhhh. She's pretty."

"Yes."

"Shut up so we can pay attention," Ran said from behind, finally breaking her silence.

Everyone fell silent as the performance started. Tsugumi just stared, completely enraptured.

It was definitely not like a band performance. There were no instruments, only singing and dancing. She couldn't imagine being able to move like that. It was more than enough standing behind the keyboard, and getting that right. The way Yohane moved, it made Tsugumi believe that she really might be an angel.

She lost track of time, and suddenly the group was bowing, thanking the audience, and walking off stage again. Before the next group stepped up. But Tsugumi couldn't care about anyone else right now.

Still, they stayed for the rest of the performances, for the sake of Himari, Ako, and Ran. Even though Ran still tried to pretend she didn't care that much, it was clear from how closely she paid attention that she loved it.

While Tsugumi was eager to get going to see Yohane, she knew they wouldn't be able to meet until after the show anyway. There was nothing to do but endure the wait.


	4. A Lively Meetup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone meets up after the concert, and then Tsugumi and Yohane head off on their own for a bit.

After the whole show was over, Tsugumi and Yohane managed to coordinate where to meet up. The issue was that everyone else wanted to come along to meet the respective 'mystery girl'. Tsugumi could hardly chase away her friends now, and Yohane knew that she wouldn't be able to get the rest of Aqours to let her go alone either.

Yohane was awkwardly tapping her foot as she waited. She felt like everyone else was looking at her, and maybe they were. It really shouldn't be such a big deal, but somehow it had turned into one. She really hoped the others weren't going to embarrass her, but also knew what a futile hope that was. She felt less worried about Tsugumi's friends than her own.

The relief she felt as she spotted Tsugumi and the others approaching was palpable.

"Hi," Tsugumi said as she got close.

"Hi," Yohane said back.

The two of them weren't sure what to say after that, but they weren't the only ones present.

"Yoshiko-chan, aren't you going to introduce us, zura?" Hanamaru asked, startling both Tsugumi and Yohane out of it.

So Afterglow and Aqours got introduced to each other, and people started spreading out.

Learning that they were in a rock band caught Kanan and Mari's attention, so Moca dragged Ran into a conversation with them.

Himari started asking about their costumes, which led her to talking with Ruby and You.

Chika was looking up at Tomoe. "Wow, you're tall," she said.

"Chika-chan," Riko hissed, and nudged Chika in the ribs.

Tsugumi and Yohane remained close to each other, though they were still struggling to figure out what to say. They didn't have this problem yesterday, so why was it such an issue now. Perhaps they were both feeling too self-conscious. Thankfully someone was there to break the tension.

"Whoooaaaa, your dress is so cool!" An excited Ako exclaimed as she admired Yohane's outfit.

"Uh... thank you," Yohane said, not quite sure how to respond at first. But between Ako's admiration, and the way the younger girl was also dressed, it didn't take Yohane long to slide into her role. "A fallen angel must always look her best!" she proclaimed. "I see you are no stranger to infernal attire yourself, little demon."

Ako audibly gasped. She looked so excited, but tried to put on her own act. "Of course, I too am one with the darkness, and... stuff..." Then she looked at Tsugumi and said: "Tsugu, your girlfriend is the coolest!" before she stormed off towards Tomoe. "Onee-chan, I'm a little demon!" she shouted.

"Oh? That's nice," Tomoe said.

* * *

Yohane gave Tsugumi a shocked lock. "G-girlfriend?!"

Tsugumi was no longer quite so thankful for Ako breaking the ice. "I-I didn't say that, it's something they came up with on their own," she hastily explained.

"Oh... right... haha, I know what that's like..." Yohane said, glancing towards the others. "It's... it's nice to see you again. I wasn't sure if you'd come."

"I wasn't sure if you actually wanted- er, I mean..." Tsugumi stopped herself. She had nearly done it again. There had been a stab of disappointment when Yohane had called Ako a little demon. Maybe it had been foolish to think that was only for her.

"So... how did you like the show?" Yohane asked.

"Oh! It was amazing!" Tsugumi said earnestly. "I have never seen idols before, and you were dancing, and it looked wonderful!" She didn't really have the words to describe her feelings properly, but she was trying. "You really were just like an angel up there!" Oh. Oops. "Er... I mean..." She hadn't meant to actually say that, and started blushing furiously.

"Oh... th-thanks," Yohane said as she was turning quite pink herself.

"Oho? What are you talking about, then?" A voice suddenly asked. A blonde girl had come close to them, and walked right up to Yohane's side.

"Um..." Tsugumi knew they had just been introduced, but she had been a little distracted.

"I'm Mari!" The girl introduced herself in a cheerful tone. "But you can call me Mari-onee-san," she added with a wink.

Yohane pinched the bridge of her nose. "Mari, please..." she hissed.

"It's a joke!" Mari said with a laugh. "I just wanted to see your beloved Tsugumi-chan up close, Yoshiko-chan~."

"B-beloved?" Tsugumi didn't know what to say to that.

"She's pretty cute, isn't she?" Mari mused out loud.

"That she is, zura."

Tsugumi hadn't even noticed the other girl approaching. She was one of the ones from yesterday. Hanamaru.

"Uh... um..." Tsugumi felt a slight urge to run.

"So, you like our little Yoshiko-chan, do you?" Mari asked with a grin.

"Uh..." Tsugumi started sweating.

Mari's grin grew. "Well, maybe we should-"

"Ma-ri-san." Another voice suddenly cut in.

"Uh oh," Mari said.

A beautiful girl with long, black hair was standing behind Mari. "You're being a pest, Mari," she said.

"D-Dia, I was just-" Mari tried to protest.

"Come along," Dia said in an uncompromising tone. She grabbed the collar of Mari's sweater, and dragged her away.

"Noooo!"

"You too, Hanamaru-san."

"Y-yes, zura."

Tsugumi let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm really sorry about that," Yohane said, sounding quite embarrassed.

Tsugumi had to laugh a little. "You have good friends," she said, looking out across the lot they were in. Even though they had just met, it seemed like the members of Afterglow and Aqours were getting along already.

"Some of them," Yohane grumbled.

"I think they seem lovely," Tsugumi said with a smile. _Even the scary ones_ , she added to herself. "I can tell they care about you." She wasn't entirely unused to such behaviour from her own friends, after all.

"I guess," Yohane said. At least she was smiling herself now. "Your friends seem nice too."

"They are," Tsugumi said. They always did so much for her.

"So you're in a band?" Yohane asked.

"Yup! I play the keyboard!" Tsugumi said with a hint of pride. "Not that I'm great at it or anything..."

"I'd love to hear you play sometime," Yohane said.

For some reason that made Tsugumi's heart beat a little faster. "Sure!"

Yohane looked like she was thinking something over. "Hey... you wanna go somewhere?" she asked.

"Huh? Where?" Tsugumi wasn't sure where that had come from.

"Uh... somewhere... with just the two of us?"

"Huh?! Um..." Part of Tsugumi wanted so badly to say yes, but... "I'm not sure if I can right now..." They probably needed to head back soon.

"Oh..." Yohane was looking at the ground.

Tsugumi looked towards the others, only to see that some of them were closer than expected. Apparently watching them quite intently. Himari was mouthing " _go go go_ " at her.

"Er... maybe... maybe it's okay..." Tsugumi said.

Yohane looked up. "Really?" Then she also noticed they had gotten an audience. She got visibly annoyed. "Argh, you lot! Come on, Tsugumi," she said, and grabbed Tsugumi's hand before walking off.

"H-huh? Huh?" Apparently the matter was settled, as Tsugumi was simply being dragged off.

"Have fun~!" Someone called after them, but she couldn't tell who it was.

Tsugumi knew she could stop, but... she kinda liked Yohane taking charge like this. It made the butterflies in her stomach act up again. Not to mention that Yohane was holding her hand. It was warm, and soft.

Though they didn't get very far before Yohane slowed to a stop. "Uh... I don't suppose you know somewhere to go?" she sheepishly asked.

"Sorry, I don't really know this area either..." was all Tsugumi could say in response. She didn't go outside of Edogawa that much.

* * *

In the end the two of them ended up in a karaoke place. It turned out it wasn't that hard to find one. Even though she had recently been on stage, Yohane still had the energy to sing her heart out. She had practised for worse than today.

Tsugumi applauded as Yohane sat back down.

"You're really good," Tsugumi said with awe in her voice.

"After all that training, I should hope so," Yohane said with a wry smile. "Thank you. You're not bad yourself."

They had already gone a few rounds, and probably needed a break to get their stamina back. It was fun to sing something that wasn't one of their own songs for once. Aqours didn't exactly have a vast library of songs yet.

"I can't compare, though," Tsugumi said, and sighed. "You are _so_ out of my league." It didn't sound like she meant the singing.

"Eh?" Yohane looked at her, and Tsugumi started to blush.

"I-I didn't mean..." She shrunk together. "... to say that out loud..."

"Ahaha." Yohane couldn't help laughing. "I don't think that's true, but even if it was... would it matter?" she asked. It was making her blush, though.

"Huh? I... I'm not sure..." Tsugumi said. "Maybe..."

"Well... what would you say if I asked you out?" Yohane prodded.

"Huh?! I would probably... ask why..." Tsugumi replied.

Yohane found a strange comfort in how they both seemed bad at this. She leaned back in her seat.

"Listen... I've always been really unlucky. You could even say misfortunate. Accidents and bad luck always seem to follow me around. Before high school I had a hard time making friends, and an even harder time keeping them." She wasn't sure why she wanted to tell Tsugumi this, but in her heart it felt important.

"B-but... you're so pretty," Tsugumi said.

"W-well..." Yohane scratched at her cheek. "That didn't really help me much..." And she didn't think she was _that_ pretty to begin with. "A-anyway, what I was getting to. I cursed my luck, as much as I felt cursed by it. I think that was a part of why I became a fallen angel. As if that would help me make some sense of all this, to find some reason behind why things always went so badly for me. It was a solace. Even before Aqours, it had gotten me a few fans online." She still did her livestreams occasionally.

"But it was after I met the others, and we formed Aqours, that things finally started to feel like they were turning around for me." She smiled. "I had hoped my high school life would be different, and it really has been. Even if I never could have imagined it like this. Not that I'm free of accidents, mind you. I have the bruises and scratches to prove that," she added with a chuckle.

"Hehehe," Tsugumi laughed along. "That still sounds amazing. I don't really have anything like that..."

"You're in a band, that's pretty amazing." Yohane meant every word. "And you have good friends."

"But I'm so unremarkable..."

Yohane reached across the table, and gently touched her hand. "Don't be like that. You came to me in a dream, that's very remarkable. In a very literal sense, you're my dream girl." She realised that sounded really cheesy when she said it out loud, but it was too late to take it back now. "I suppose... I have always known that all this fallen angel stuff is probably fake. That the world is too dull for something like that to exist. But when I found out that you are real, I felt a need to reconsider. At the very least I feel that we have a very special connection, however it came about."

* * *

Yohane smiled at her, and Tsugumi found it hard to disagree. There was certainly something special there, her heart insisted on that, regardless of how her brain might hesitate.

"So let me ask you properly." Yohane took a deep breath. "Will you go out with me?"

All the butterflies in Tsugumi's stomach started acting up at once, making it a little hard to breathe. Even if it had been fairly clear that Yohane was leading up to that, it was still a very different thing to actually hear it.

"I'd love to!" she said immediately. "But..."

"But?"

"We live so far apart."

"Not that far. We can visit on weekends, and holidays," Yohane pointed out.

"I might not live up to your expectations." That was Tsugumi's biggest worry. The idea of being a 'dream girl' set the bar pretty high.

"I wouldn't worry about that," was all Yohane said, and moved around to Tsugumi's side of the table.

"W-what if it turns out to be a mistake?" Tsugumi asked, a little flustered.

"Don't worry, I have a lot of experience making those."

Tsugumi had to giggle at that.

"This fallen angel wants _you_ , Tsugumi. What do you say? Won't you fall with me?" Yohane asked, her voice carrying a lot of gravitas.

The dulcet tones made Tsgumi shiver slightly. "You seem like a radiant angel to me," she said without really meaning to, which again caused them both to blush. "A-alright. If you're so determined, then I'll trust you, Yohane," Tsugumi said bashfully.

Yohane beamed, then a twinkle appeared in her eye. "Then... maybe we should pick up where we left off?"

"Eh?" Tsugumi was confused.

Yohane reached out, and took hold of Tsugumi's chin. "Remember~?" she asked playfully.

It all came rapidly back to Tsugumi. "Oh..." She nodded a little, not enough to break the hold.

Yohane leaned a little closer. "Well, should we?" she asked again.

Tsugumi swallowed. She felt really warm all of a sudden. Her eyes drifted down to Yohane's lips. There wasn't any lipstick on them tonight. Maybe she had that back at the inn, or had simply forgotten. They still looked lovely, though. She suddenly wished she had done more to pretty herself up for tonight, but she wasn't used to that stuff.

Even so, she replied: "Yes~."

Yohane's triumphant look made Tsugumi's spine tingle. "Such a sweet little demon," she whispered.

"Yohane-sama," Tsugumi whispered back, and then their lips met.

Time ceased to have meaning. It was their first kiss, so they didn't have any experience or skill to draw from, but neither did they have anything to compare it to. In that moment, it simply felt magical. Tsugumi wouldn't have been surprised if there were actual, literal sparks flying in the room.

After what felt like an eternity, but also way too quickly, the kiss ended. They leaned back, and looked at each other's flushed faces.

"That was..."

"Yeah..."

"B-but you don't have to do the 'sama' thing, it's embarrassing..." Yohane confessed.

Tsugumi giggled. "Okay. Oh, do you call everyone little demons?" she asked, having been too insecure to do so before.

"It's kind of my thing," Yohane replied.

"I see..." Tsugumi considered it. "Then can I be the big demon?"

"I... I'm not sure that would... isn't being my girlfriend enough?"

Tsugumi smiled, and squeezed Yohane's hand. "Yes. Yes, it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suppose I don't really have a lot in the way of closing notes.  
> Small trivia:  
> The chart I have for how the various Bandori members refer to each other didn't have anything for Ako addressing Ran or Moca, so I just guessed.  
> As far as I could tell, the area of Tokyo where Bandori takes place is never explicitly named, nor are the two schools real. At least nothing came up on google. But! The instrument shop is called Edogawa music, and Edogawa is a real district in Tokyo (the eastern-most one), so I went with that.


End file.
